Where Birds Don't Fly

Training for a license is different than training for job performance. Training for a license is to establish performance skills in accordance with a standard and conform to regulatory requirements. SMS training is job performance training.   Training for job performance is to further develop performance skills to become a specialist in one area, or a selective few areas. An Enterprise is establishing these skills responsibilities by defining roles and responsibilities within the organization and assigning to specific licensed personnel.   Training for a specific instrument is a test. Learning how to play an instrument backwards with loss of hand is job performance. When a person is training for a specific license they are evaluated by the standards to the bar of performance levels. If these levels are reached the person is issued a license. The license requirement does not take into account how effective the training process was, but just takes into account if the training re...

Documentation is the core support of a Safety Management System (SMS). This is the chosen method to recall plans, policies, objectives, goals and parameters, and a tool to recall future plans. The policies, objectives and goals of an SMS plan are completed products for operational applications, while the blueprints of an SMS plan are located within the planning, the brainstorming  and description of the plan.    The Blueprint is what makes the outcome. Blueprints may be changed. The intent of an SMS plan is to maintain it and not to change it. If looking at an SMS plan as a home that was just built, the plan is maintained by changing paint colors, or rearranging furniture.  A system failure of the plan would be if a home required 6 bedrooms, but only 3 were built. This is a structural issue where regular maintenance does not change the layout, and a complete structural change, or system change is required. The intent of an SMS plan is therefore to be maintained and n...

One year ago I submitted my first blog, and it has been a year of unbelievable fun. In a few simple words the Safety Management System  (SMS) has become a friend to establish parameters, controlling variables and discover losses.  In a short summary each one of the blogs was telling a story to make aviation safer. The first blog was about SMS as a tool beyond trial and errors. After major aviation accidents everyone wants facts and solutions. SMS is a friend to guide for addressing facts and solutions and capture processes. Or  in other words, how we manage what we do before combinations of hazards becomes an accident. Unless hazards are managed and controlled, the solution to eliminate hazards may be a roll-the-dice-management. Effective hazard management it to mitigate the effect of hazard data collected. An Accountable Executive (AE) is the CEO of accountability.  In an SMS Enterprise everyone have a role of  accountability. SMS is managed by principles of a...